"The Namesake" (2006) - Movie Review

In a film, most of the occasions, the pace defines the flavour of it. Breaking it at any point of the film may definitely fall in different places thus ending up either a non-entertaining or extremely gripping piece. In those aspects, “The Namesake” rides on a tight thread high enough on the ground, to walk over it, but not damaging it. There has been lot of movies exploring the cultural differences and also the influences on the people. Those movies mostly ended blaming one culture and finally emerging the rich traditional one the winner. Mira Nair’s film does not go on that path but tend to at some point of the film. It explains those with unraveling of maturity and some steps taken by varied generation to end the movie and mark the beginning of a new cultural birth.

Irffan Khan has always impressed as an actor in Indian serials. It is too bad that I was not able to watch his “Maqbool” till date. His enactment of Ashoke is so subtle and underplayed. He brings in that calm ness along with the open mind. He has concerns over his son Gogul (Kal Penn), but he knows time will answer those. He does not worry himself and nor does he make his wife Ashima (Tabu) worry due to that. He is subdued even in showing his slightest hint of anger and within seconds sheds off to make up for it. His portrayal of being a responsible father and an understanding husband makes the film dance upon smoothly. To compliment his character is his better half Ashima. Confused and concerned in a strange land, she is taken back when Ashoke gears up to prepare tea for her. She is taken back because it is the responsibility of a wife to take care of her husband, as the cultural/traditional Indian system says. It takes some time for her to understand the nuances of the extremely independent cultured America. Yet she is ready to go that extra mile to get it.

For these beautiful couple, arrives the expected westernized son Gogul, who beats himself for agreeing for the name at the age of four. He is pulled up in between the traditional values his parents thought and what he wants. He is curious and does not get fussy. Instead he enjoys the moment and tries to live in it, internally questioning his ultimate aim in life. He realizes his responsibility but does not kill himself over it. He decides to make up for it rather than weep about it.

This is the underlying game of this movie. It dwells upon each character but never lets any one get any more inside than they ever show on the screen. There is no assumption involved in enacting the characters. The viewers do not expect any predictable and also unpredictable reaction from these three characters. “The Namesake” teaches how living in a different place with a culture at the opposite end of the spectrum is not a big deal. It may take time for any one and especially it takes more time for some one culturally brought up from child hood. The fact is there are goods everywhere and end of day it is one another person with different back ground to know about.

As I was in the mid of the movie, it took a wild same road many have taken and it made me worry. Why do they want to do the same which is not true? But I was proven wrong at the latter part of the movie. The tone of the movie appears in a lonely environment. It gives the viewers the feeling of being a house wife in a strange land. It is not easy and yet some how, most of them manages it and find their destiny in it. Times have changed and so are the people. This is what the film tries to give out.

The soundtrack is been employed for majority of the film and it does not hinder rather it elevates the flavour of it. The film has lot of directorial significance. Especially using the tree to give a time period or the rituals to mark the occasions are some instances to mention. It is a nice application of technique.

I liked “The Namesake”. It appeared to be a typical “American Indian” movie and it totally came out of it right from the initial frame. The film specifies that, regardless of where some person lives, their character and emotions are universal. While the cultural back ground may aid in instantly identifying some one but to get the emotion of understanding, care and trust, it takes a lot more than that. It also says that time does make a difference and the generation who were left behind by the insinuation of the bad parts of some traditional thoughts might very well understand the good ness in a foreign environment. Similarly, it is the same value of time, the current generation should give them to come up and understand each other. “The Namesake” is an enigmatic feeling of living in different parts of the world.